Bravo fans have seen Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor get married on Vanderpump Rules. Later, they hopped over to The Valley, which documented their marriage falling apart. However, the one person who has continually brought them joy is their son, Cruz Cauchi. Now, Brittany is sharing some deeply personal news about Cruz.
Brittany Cartwright opens up about her son Cruz’s autism diagnosis
Season 2 of The Valley begins airing soon, and fans will see Brittany filing for divorce from Jax. However, along with their marital issues, the couple was also dealing with Cruz’s puzzling symptoms. “He crawled early, he walked early. He was talking, he was saying, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Daddy.’ He was saying ‘Hot Dog!’…” Brittany told PEOPLE. “Then, as he got closer to 2, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely.”
Cruz’s parents put him in occupational and speech therapy. Now, Brittany is sharing that nearly four-year-old Cruz was diagnosed with autism. Adjusting to the fact that Cruz is mostly nonverbal has been tough for Brittany. “It can be difficult because I’ve never heard him say, ‘I love you,’ but he is so loving,” she explained, “and he shows me he loves me every single day.”
During the fall, Jax and Brittany learned of Cruz’s formal autism diagnosis. “Our life is going to look a little bit different, but I feel like I was meant to be his mom,” Brittany stated. She continued, “It can be sad at times because you want them to live life to the fullest, and he does, he just does it in a different way. What I really want people to understand about autism is he sees the world so much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will.” She added, “There aren’t any limitations to what he can do.”
Right now, Brittany is focused on “early intervention” for Cruz. He has a swing set, pool, and a sensory room. “I’m just so proud of everything about Cruz. He is just the love of my life,” Brittany said.
The Valley Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, April 15 at 9/8c on Bravo.
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